The Socio-Cultural Framework of Individual Action

Abstract

We need to include the dynamic structure of individual action in the person-society-culture framework to understand its genesis. Our aim is to show that individual reality is intelligible only from its totality, i.e. in being a person, being social and being cultural. So this person-society-culture relationship belongs to the dynamic structure of individual action. By this I do not mean to set up society, or culture, above the individual reality of the person. I do not mean to say that social or cultural realities are higher units than individual ones. This would lead us to an opposition between the individual and social spheres.

Action is exclusive to the individual, who arranges means for the achievement of ends. But it is action’s originating framework because individual action is intelligible only from the living world, of which the individual is part. That said, we will speak of the originating framework of action to refer to the relationship between personality, society and culture.